Safety-razor



W. J. DAVIDSON.

SAFETY RAZOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1919.

PatentedSept. 13, 1921.

' ATTORNEY.

STATES OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOSEPH DAVIDSON, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY-RAZOR.

Application filed February 26, 1919. Serial No. 279,270.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'ILLIAM J. DAVIDSON, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and resident of New York, in the county and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Razors, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety razors, and it has for its object toprovide a simple and improved razor of this class in which the bladewill be effectively protected and which can be conveniently stroppedwithout removal of the protective guard for the blade and withoutdisassembling the bodyholder, blade and guard.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved safety razorwhich can be variably employed, without substitution of any parts,either as a safety type razor having the handle at right angles to theblade or as an ordinary type razor having the handle in line with theblade.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my improvedsafety razor with its parts adjusted for use as a razor of ordinarytype.

Fig. 2 is a detail cross-section, on the line 40-00, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail cross-section on the line g -g Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view, on the longitudinal plane indicatedby the line 2-2, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View illustrating the reliminaryadjustment of the handle portion for use as a razor of the usual safetytype having a right-angular relationship between the blade and handle.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view illustrating the final adjustment ofthe handle from the position shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view illustrating a modified constructionof the body bar and handle for use solely as a razor of ordinary typehaving the handle in line with the blade.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted'by the same referencecharacters.

Referring to the drawings ,1 designates the main body bar of the razor,which is of a longitudinal extent related to the length of the bladeemployed and is of suitable or desired external contour. In the bottomsurface of the body bar is provided a longitudinal recess, 2, for theslidable reception of a removable blade, and said recessed port on hasopposite inwardly projecting longitudinal flanges or lips, 3-8, forengag ng corresponding shoulders, 44, at opposite sides of the top ofthe blade, to support the blade within the body bar after it is slid andset into position therein.

The removable blade, 5, may be of any suitable or adapted construction,but the blade shoulders t-4 are preferably formed by the bottom terminalends of a longitudinal top socket, 6,. within which the cutting bladeelement is fixed and carried.

7 designates the safety guard member, which is detachably mounted uponthe body bar 1 so that it has a swinging or pivotal movement laterallywith relation thereto. The guard member has a longitudinal extentrelated to the length of the blade, and in its preferred constructioncomprises end plates, 8--8, connected by longitudinal parallel bars orplates, 9-9, located intermediately of the bottom and top plane of theguard and separated a distance slightly in excess of the thickness ofthe blade, between which side bars or plates the blade is positioned andthe swinging or pivotal move ment of the guard laterally is limited bysaid side bars or plates in their action as side stays against theblade. The outer end plate Sis provided with a lengthwise slot, 10, toenable the insertion and removal of the blade to position withoutremoval of the safety guard from the body bar. In the preferredconstruction for detachably mounting the guard 7 upon the body bar 1 andpermitting its lateral swinging or pivotal movement thereon, the upperends of the end plates S8 are respectively provided with perforations,11, receiving a set screw, 12, and the set screws at opposite ends ofthe guard engage threaded recesses, 1%, respectively in the oppositeends of the body bar 1, the guard thus having its pivotal bearing uponsaid securing screws and the latter being adjustable to regulate thefreedom of the pivotal action of the guard.

The safety element of the guard is constituted by a longitudinal rollermember, 15, which is mounted in bearings, l616, at the lower ends of theend plates 88 of the guard member and extends between the same. Saidroller is spirally grooved circumferentially, as at 17, which grooveoperates as a guide in the angle of movement both in the cutting actionof the blade in shaving and in the operation of stropping. The relativeassociation and arrangement of parts is such that the cutting edge ofthe blade, when the members are in assembled operative position, willextend on a plane immediately above and just a short distance from theroller member 15.

The variable construction as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 comprises ashort connection member, 18, slidably mounted upon and straddling thebody bar 1 and conforming in cross-section to the cross-section of saidbar. To the inner end of said connection member is pivotally connected,as at 19, an extended handle member, 20, so that the latter will bepermitted a lateral swinging action with respect to said connectionmember. The body portion of said extended handle member 20 preferablyconforms in cross-section to the cross-sectional contour of the body bar1, having longitudinal side wings, 21-21, connected by a top portion,22, and is permitted a slidable movement longitudinally upon and withrespect to the body bar. Said side wings, at their inner terminal endsjust adjacent the pivotal connection 19 are .cut away, as at 23, so thatwhen the handle member 20 is swung to position at right angles to thebody bar (as shown in Fig. 6) said edges will conform to the side of thebody bar and operate as a brace or stay against the same to maintain therelative right-angular position of the handle.

The operation of the variable handle construction as just described issuch that when the slidable members 18 and 20 are brought to theposition upon the body bar 1 in which the body portion of the member 20has a longitudinal engagement with said bar, as shown in Fig. 1, thehandle member will be maintained in a position extending in line withthe blade and the safety razor is thus adapted. for use as an ordinaryrazor of this handle type. l/Vhen it is desired to use the razor as theusual safety type having the handle at right angles to the blade,without disassembling the associated members of the construction, thepivotally-connected members 18 and 20 are slid upon the body bar 1toward the inner end of the latter until the handle member 20 is freefrom the bar and can be swung laterally to the position as shown in Fig.5, after which the connection member 18 is slid back to a centralposition on the body bar 1 and the handle member 20 is brought to andfixed in the position as shown in Fig. 6, in which it projects at rightangles to the blade. To enable the use of the razor under the sameconditions and circumstances as an ordinary type razor having the handlein line with the blade, when the slidable members 18 and 20 are both inlongitudinal engagement with the body bar 1 in the position shown inFig. 1, the outer end portion or extension of the extended handle member20 is provided with a pivotally-mounted swinging arm, 24, which willcorrespond in use to the body handle of an ordinary razor which receivesthe blade when the razor is in closed position, and this swinging arm ispreferably of a cross-sectional contour corresponding to the crosssection of the extension of the handle member 20, so that it will folddownwardly neatly upon the same into a positionconforming thereto whenthe handle member is employed at right angles to the blade, as shown inFigs. 5 and 6.

In the foregoing construction involving a slidable handle structure, thetop surface of the body bar 1 is preferably inclined at an angle, as at25, which will afford a slant in which the handle member will have theproper angle of position with relation to the fiat plane of the bladewhen the razor is used under the conditions and type as illustrated inFig. 6. I

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated one of the modified constructions involvedin the general types of improved safety razors having theleadingfeatures of my invention, which modified construction relates to theadaptation of the improvements to a razor designed solely for use as theordinary type in which the handle is in line with the blade. In thisconstruction as shown, the slidable and pivoted handle members as beforedescribed are dispensed with and the body bar 1 is extended rearwardlybeyond the blade-carrying portion and the safety guard, as at 26, thisextension being preferably integral with the body bar 1 and bowed orcurved upwardly. Said extension thus forms a handle in line with theblade, as in an ordinary razor, and in this type of construction thebody bar 1 is preferably of rounded exterior shape, as at 27, at itshead or top, to give a more graceful contour and lighter body. Adjacentthe outer end of the extension handle 26, is pivotally mounted, as at28, the usual supplementary handle member, 29, of this type of razors,which consists of separated side pieces or plates between which the maincutting portion of the razor is received when the razor is closed andout of use.

The operation and advantages of my inventlon will be readily understood.The improvements provide a safety razor, which may be adaptable for usevariably either as a razor of ordinary type in which the handle. is inline with the blade or as the usual safety type in which the handle isat right angles to the blade, in which the blade is readily andconveniently insertible to and removable from position and the safetyguard is detachably and adjustably carried by the body bar, the improvedconstruction being such that the safety guard has a swinging or pivotalmovement laterally with relation to the blade a sufficient andoperatively-limited distance to guard the action of the cutting edge ofthe blade either in the act of shaving or in the act of stropping, andthus the razor may be used just as an ordinary razor having a fixedblade and correspondingly stropped without removal of the safety guardand under the safety action of the guard member.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the detailfeatures of construc tion as herein shown and described, as it ismanifest that variations and modifications therein may be resorted to,in the adaptation of my invention to varying conditions of use, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention and improvements. Itherefore reserve the right to all such variations and modifications asproperly fall within the scope of my invention and the terms of thefollowing claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. A safety razor, comprising a main body member carried in connectionwith the operative handle of the device, a blade insertible to fixedposition in connection with and projective from the under side of saidcombined body and handle member, members pivotally connected with saidbody member and depending therefrom respectively at opposite ends of theblade, side bars extending longitudinally between said depending pivotalend members and connecting the same in fixed relation, said side barsbeing located between the under side of the body member and the lowerends of said depending end members and respectively at opposite sides ofthe blade and operative longitudinally against opposite sides of theblade as a stay throughout the longitudlnal extent thereof to limit thepivotal movement of said end members, and a bottom guard bar journaledin the lower ends of said re spective pivotal end members and extend inglongitudinally between the same beneath the cutting edge of the blade.

2. In a safety razor comprising a main body member for carrying theblade in depending position therefrom, a safety guard member consistingas an entity of end members having a pivotal connection with said bodymember and depending therefrom respectively at opposite ends of theblade and side bars extending longitudinally between said end membersand connecting the same in fixed relation, said side bars being locatedin the plane of the face of blade and respectively at opposite sidesthereof and operative longitudinally against the opposite sides of theblade as a stay throughout the longitudinal extent thereof to limit thepivotal movement of said end members, and a bottom guard bar journaledin the lower ends of said respective connected pivotal end members andextending longitudinally between the same beneath the cutting edge ofthe blade.

3. In a safety razor, the combination, with a guard member pivotallydepending from the main body member which carries the blade andcomprising end members respectively at opposite ends of the blade andside bars carried by said end members and operative as a stay againstsides of the blade to limit the swinging movement of said guard member,of a roller member journaled in the lower ends of said respectivepivotal end members of said swinging guard and extending longitudinallybetween the same beneath the cutting edge of the blade.

42. A safety razor comprising a body bar, a connection member slidablyoperative longitudinally upon said bar, and a handle member pivotallyconnected with said connection member and slidably operativelongitudinally upon said bar, the pivotal relationship being such thatwhen the connection member and handle member are in normal position uponthe body bar the handle member will be retained in line with said barand when only the connection member is in position upon the body bar thehandle member can be swungupon its pivot laterally with relation to thebody bar, whereby the position or projective angle of the handle withrelation to the body bar may be varied.

5. A safety razor comprising a body bar, a member slidably embracingsaid bar laterally, a handle member slidably embracing said barlaterally and having an end extension pivoted upon said first namedmember, the sides of said handle member constituting means for retainingsaid handle member in position in line with said bar, and the ends ofsaid sides back of the pivotal extension constituting means forretaining said handle in operative position upon its pivotal mounting atan angle to said bar.

In testimony whereof I have signed the foregoing specifications.

WILLIAM J OSEPH DAVIDSON.

